How to Cut an Apple
by Candified Chaos
Summary: "Prince Zen, I regret to inform that you aren't very secretive. And so, I now have your lover in my custody. To have her back, I demand for the crown of Prince Izana and your sword. For every day you do not obey my demands, I will break one of her bones. If you have not obeyed them in a week, then she will die and you will never find her body. Choose wisely, your majesty."
1. Chapter 1

It was bright. Very bright. The sun shined over the large kingdom, blessing the land with warmth and light. It gave life to the flowers and plants and helped put smiles on the faces of little children when they ran around underneath it. It made many people happy, helping them all out with their daily lives. They were more grateful to it than they could ever truly show.

Except for some people. Some people were a whole lot less grateful than the average. Some people who were forced to wear armour every day in any weather, the guards.

"It's so hot." The playful guard with light brown hair whined as the sun stayed plastered onto his metal plates, staying at his position in front of the gates like he always did. Well not always but MOST of the time. He didn't dread it though, and he rarely complained about it. He got to meet Shirayuki here, they both did. Him and his friend/partner. They adored her, not in the way their prince did because they weren't stupid, in their own way. She was just...charming. Yes. She had a special type of charming aura around her. That was the best way to describe it.

"Stop complaining." His partner sighed and shook his head, standing beside the first guard. He had his back up straight and facing forward, always trying to look proper. To look professional. He was so serious. Not really though, not if you actually got to know him. He was playful, but he always tried to hide it. He was adorable.

The first guard hung his head with a light pout when he heard his friend's sigh. Just being a little goofy since it was hard not to. Not when it was forced into his personality.

"Um...Hello." A voice spoke suddenly, a small and fragile voice. It almost sounded nervous actually.

His head snapped up, suddenly alert again as he looked to see who the voice belonged to, noticing that it was just an elderly woman. He let his guard down but not a lot. Just slightly since it was only an old woman. She wouldn't be able to do much harm herself even if she tried. Especially against two well fit men with weapons.

"Yes?" The second guard asked first, looking at her, since he had given her attention before the first guard.

The old woman's hand shook a bit as she looked up at him, her hand started to shake more as she held it up to reveal that there was an envelope clutched inside of it, now crumbled up, "Could you...give this..to Shirayuki?" She asked shyly...no it was nervous now, "I heard she works here now."

"She does." The second guard said with a nod, keeping his voice professional as he took the envelope carefully, "And may I ask who you are?"

"My name is Kino," She said as the first guard started to frown a little, "I'm visiting from Tanburan. Shirayuki used to be my friend and pharmacist." she explained.

"Understood." The second guard nodded and held the envelope lightly,careful not too wreck it more than it has been, "We will get it to her as soon as we can."

"Thank you." The old lady said quickly before turning around and walking away, very quickly though. She seemed...rushed.

"Odd." The first guard mumbled, his frown still on his face after the lady disappeared and looked over at his friend to see his thoughts about it. His friend just looked back at him, a frown on his own face but it wasn't as intense. It was more stern, but he did seem curious as well. It showed in his eyes.

His friend looked back into the gated area and noticed someone there, he called out to him, telling him to get a messenger since they couldn't leave their position so soon. The man inside quickly ran into the castle to get the requested person and that was that.

That was that.

* * *

"Shirayuki?" A voice rung inside of the redhead's head but she wasn't able to quite acknowledge it yet as she gently stroked the leaves of a herb in front of her. She enjoyed the weather out and she even liked to work in it as well. She got more of an excuse to go out and see the garden with Ryu. The garden was beautiful, full of herbs that she thought she may never encounter in her life. But here she was, in a castle, in another country, tending to their garden.

It was a dream to her.

"Shirayuki." The voice repeated, snapping the girl out of her thoughts this time. She turned her head to look over at the man, who was holding a plate with an envelope on top of it.

"Yes?" She asked, eyeing the envelope curiously.

"You have a message." He said and held the plate out. Shirayuki nodded and wiped off the dirt of her hands onto her bare ankle before lifting up the paper and pulling it to her.

Carefully she opened up the envelope then pulled out the small note in it. The paper was smooth but not expensive, not like the paper from the messages that she would normally get from the castle. Her eyebrow raised slightly, curious about who would send her a message on cheap paper. Not that she was judging, of course, but there weren't many that did.

She held the message firm in her hands as her eyes traced over each letter, taking in what each word said, soaking it all in. It was short, but as her eyes passed by each word a smile grew on her face, slowly but by the end of the letter, the smile on her face was huge.

Shirayuki placed the envelop back onto the plate but kept the letter in her hands. "Thank you." She said kindly to the messenger, who just gave her a slight nod before turning on his heels and leaving the garden area quickly, probably because he had other work to do.

Silence fell over the working pair again as Shirayuki tended to a herb again before plucking part of it out. What she plucked out wouldn't hurt the actual plant so it could grow more of them. She just needed that part for a certain medicine she wished to create.

"Hey...Ryuu." Shirayuki spoke quietly, breaking the silence, looking back over to where the brown haired boy was sitting on a step while writing in his notebook.

The boy glanced up slightly, his gaze on her for a second before going back to his notes, "Yes?"

"If I work extra hard tomorrow, do you think I could get off early?" She asked, feeling slightly shy about it but also guilty. She didn't want to leave the others to do all the work... but this didn't happen every day. This chance didn't happen much.

"You work extra hard every day." Ryuu deadpanned, not even looking up from his notes as he continued to talk, "You can have the rest of the day off if you want."

Shirayuki blushed slightly at the first compliment, not believing it to be true, but ended up grinning by the end of what he said. "Thank you!" She exclaimed, the excitement evident in her voice as she started to move a bit faster while plucking the rest of the items she needed from the plants growing, "Thank you so much! I'll finish up quickly then be on my way!"

Ryuu smiled at her, his gaze drifting her shortly as he watched her do exactly what she said. It took mere moments before she had the ingredients she need in the woven basket. Quickly, she pushed herself to her feet before darting away...no not darting. Skipping. She skipped away.

Ryuu's smile grew just a little bit, wondering what could have possibly gotten her so excited. Well whatever it is, he hoped it was just as great as she hoped.

She deserved it.


	2. Chapter 2

_"Hey Miss, where are you headed?" A brown haired man said as he walked over to his red haired friend. A small smile, a mischievous smile, was placed on his face as he moved towards her, his hand comfy in his pocket like normal. He wasn't wearing the guard clothes since there were no known guests today but he wasn't wearing his typical casual clothes either. Due to the heat, he decided to wear some light pants and a loose t-shirt so his scar on his chest was slightly revealed but not that much._

 _"Into town. I'm going to see an old friend." Shirayuki replied with her cute smile on her face, just looking happy in general. But... she normally would. She just looked extra happy now._

 _"Would you like me to accompany you?" Obi offered politely, because of his job and just because he liked hanging out with her. She was fun._

 _"No I'm okay." She replied.  
_

 _"Alright." Obi nodded, his smile still there as he watched her leave the castle grounds..._

* * *

"What do you mean you haven't seen Shirayuki all day?" A certain white haired prince exclaimed as he looked at his two attendants standing in front of his desk before him. Kiki and Mitsuhide.

"She left the castle grounds around noon today is what the guards said." Kiki explained what she had heard, her voice dull and emotionless to those who didn't know her. To those who did, they were able to sense the slight worry in her voice.

"And they haven't seen her return." Mitsuhide finished for her.

"Why not?" Zen asked, his tone showed that he was worried as well but it was slowly turning into frustration. Not at them or the guards, just at her missing in general. If she was kidnapped again...

The two didn't reply to his question, they had no answer for it.

"She was seeing an old friend." A voice spoke up from behind Zen.

The white haired prince jerked up slightly before turning around with his hand on his sword just to see that perched on the window sill was Obi. He looked distressed by his expression yet at the same time, it seemed like he was fighting that feeling. Like he was trying to calm himself. It didn't seem to be working. Despite the numerous good possibilities, the only thing that was going through his head were the worse possibilities.

"What?" Zen questioned, staring straight at Obi and speaking silently to each other through their eyes. Trying to reassure each other. That wasn't working either.

"I saw her before she left." Obi stated, still perched on the now closed window sill with his hand holding him steady, "She told me she going to meet an old friend when I saw her leaving. She told me that she was fine going alone..."

"Have the guards seen her come in?" Zen asked, his mind going through a variety of different thoughts.

"No." Obi answered, "I asked."

Zen frowned some more as his thumb stroked his the wood against his desk, trying to think of something. "Kiki, Mitsuhide." Zen said as the two immediately straightened up when they heard their names, "We're going to search for Shirayuki."

The two nodded, neither of them trying to fight it. They were close to Shirayuki too, it was obvious that they were worried.

Zen put a steady hand on the hilt of his sword, as if comforting himself, and moved over to get out of behind his desk and started to make his way over to the door when it opened by itself and a man burst through it, falling to the ground as he did.

He was panting and sweating hard, he had been running earlier. As he laid on the ground, he winced a bit and his free hand moved over to his ankle to touch it while his other hand was carrying an envelope. The man was slim with long blonde hair that went down to his lower waist but it was braided so it was a bit further up but not by much. Despite the very masculine and older features he had on his body, his face looked a bit child like. It was by no means a baby face but it just wasn't...adult. Maybe teenager.

It took a few moments for what happened to register into Zen's mind, but Kiki and Mitsuhide were already there. They had their swords out and pointed at the intruder, both with harsh looks on their faces. The man glanced up wearily, his eyes widening when he saw the swords but he stayed put. He looked scared, but not as scared as one should look when they have swords pointing at them.

"Who are you?" Kiki spoke first, her voice proper but cold as well.

The man opened his mouth to speak but was cut off from the yelling of guards as they came running down the hallway. There were about five of them, all running in the same direction to Zen's room.

"I have a note for Prince Zen!" The man said quickly as he looked over at the guards with a worried look. Kiki frowned and moved her sword closer. The man seemed to have gotten the message and held the envelope out for the white haired prince.

The room got quiet as Zen stared at the note, hoping it was from Shirayuki or something telling him she was okay. But if it was, then a palace messenger could've brought it in. Not whoever this stranger was.

He was hesitant for a moment before he ripped the envelope open, not caring for manners or being proper, and took out the paper inside. Carefully, he opened it up and looked at its contents, his eyes narrowing and his eyebrows furrowing whilst he read. Anger surged through his throat as he started to read the letter out loud so the others could hear.

" _Dear Prince Zen_ ," He started, the rage already evident in his tone, " _I regret to inform you that you are not the best at being secretive. Especially when it comes to your love life. And because of this flaw, I now have your lover in custody."_ Zen paused for a moment to swallow his rage down to keep reading as the other's let it sink in as well, each of them getting angry in their own way, _"To get her back alive, I desire your sword and the crown of Prince Izana. If you do not obey my demands-"_ In a swift move, the note was torn in half and thrown onto the ground.

It took barely a second for Zen to take out his sword and point it directly at the stranger's neck, fury shown in his eyes. The fury clear in his eyes would've made even the strongest of men pray for forgiveness. Though this man, who was quite scared, didn't whimper. He didn't shiver in fear. He didn't start to deny things without even being asked. He just stared into Zen's eyes even though it was clear that he didn't want to.

"What have you done with her?" Zen growled at the stranger, the venom in his voice was as clear as a diamond.

" _I_ haven't done anything." The man defended himself, emphasizing on the 'I' to show that there was another person involved.

"Then who has?" Zen hissed, keeping his glare fixated on the man.

"I don't know." He replied, seeming honest about it but it didn't really make a lot of sense to the others. He obviously wasn't an average messenger.

"Tell me." Zen growled again, his voice becoming pure rage as he pressed his sword closer, almost touching the man. The man didn't back down though. He was still quite fearful, but he held strong. Had Zen not been so angry then, he may have gained a little admiration for this stranger.

"I don't know." He repeated himself, a little louder this time as the guards came and gathered around the door. The majority of the guards glared down at the man and one even went to speak, probably to inform Zen what was going on, but he quickly let his mouth close when he saw how furious Zen was. The guards just stood outside of the room instead of confronting the man in fear of facing Zen's wrath.

"Then what are you doing here?" The frustration and rage dancing in his voice as he spoke.

"To deliver the message..."

"But why _you_?" Zen asked him.

"I'm trusted." He replied quite blankly.

Upon hearing those words, a small smirk started to spread across Zen's lips. A wicked little smirk, one like the other's hadn't seen before. "Then why don't we just use you as a hostage as well?" Zen questioned, his smirk still on his face. It was a bluff, Kiki and Mitsuhide knew that. Obi was suspicious, but he didn't think the master could actually kill or maim someone in cold blood. It was just a bluff.

Zen raised his sword lightly, now letting it hover over his arm. He held it in a position to show that if he just let it drop or moved his arm a certain way, it would puncture it. The man started to sweat a little out of nervousness.

But before Zen could actually do anything, the sound of smashed glass rang through the air and everyone turned their heads to see an arrow smashing through and aimed at Kiki's shoulder. The girl moved fast though, her blade slicing through the air quickly, almost instantly cutting the arrow in half and stopping its path before it got to her. However, she missed the arrow that had been hiding behind it. That arrow pierced right into her hand as she cut the first arrow. The blonde haired woman held back a yell as she fell down to her knees, watching as the red liquid drizzled down her hand from where the arrow went straight through, now stuck in her skin.

A muffled shout came from Mitsuhide as he immediately went over to her, calling for someone to get a healer. Kiki bit her lip harsh as she looked up at Mitsuhide, not liking the worry in his eyes.

Zen's eyes had widened as stared straight at the window, Obi gone now, having disappeared to go chase the attacker.

"There's a note." Kiki mumbled, her voice pained and weak.

Mitsuhide frowned at that before glancing down to see that there was a small letter attached to the first arrow. He slowly picked it up, keeping one hand on Kiki's shoulder to try and reassure her or comfort her...neither was working.

" _Hurt him and the next one goes in her head_." Mitsuhide read the note, his scowl almost the same as Zen's now.

Zen looked back over at the two quickly, worried about Kiki now, before sending his glare to the man again. In a swift move, he had sheathed his sword and looked over at the guards. "Take him away." He commanded, not caring about being polite.

It took a few moments for the guards to regain their posture, all of them in shock at what happened, but they quickly got the man out of there when they were able to just as a healer came in. Mitsuhide helped the healer bring Kiki out of the room, carrying her bridal style much to her discomfort. They closed the door when they left, leaving Zen all alone.

Then he just collapsed.


	3. Chapter 3

"Damn it he's fast." Obi grumbled to himself, not bothering to be quiet as he reentered the room he had been in before he left, going in through the broken window that was not yet fixed. His eyes glanced around the room curiously, noting that the glass pieces were picked up and the blood from Kiki's wound was cleaned up now. The cleaners worked fast.

He frowned at the memory of watching the arrow break through the glass. He had reached out for it, going to grab it, but he was too late. They both passed right through his grasp. The worse part was that he didn't even know that they were coming. He didn't know there was a person there, he had no idea. Obi shouldn't known, he should've sensed...he should've been able to see it. Or at least catch the intruder...

A sigh escaped his lips as he stopped looking around the room, his eyes landing on Zen's desk instead. Laying on the surface of it were the two ripped pieces of the note Zen had been holding before, the note that he couldn't bear to finish.

Temptation urged for him to go look at it, read the rest of what was on there. He was curious, he wanted to know what made Zen so mad that it made him rip the note instead of finishing it. His mind wandered far and it made Obi think of the worse possible things that could possibly happen to Shirayuki...and he hated imagining those cruel things. That was the argument that won out in his head, letting him take the note and hold them back together so he could read it.

 _"If you do not obey my commands..."_ Obi mumbled as he found the place Zen left off then continued to read, _"then for each day you haven't obeyed, she will lose access to one of her limbs. I will break it. For every hour you do not obey, the food I give her will grow scarce. And if you have not obeyed them by the end of the week, then I will kill her."_

It was almost instantly when the two pieces of the note floated to the ground, gently. Obi was gone the second they touched the surface of the desk again, it was like he had disappeared out of thin air. But he left again. He left through the window with a scowl plastered on his face, not caring about the scratches he got from the trees he leaped to. He needed to find her. He needed to save her.

 _It's my fault._

* * *

It was sunny when he woke up. The light from the sun shone into Zen's bedroom as his eyes slowly started to flutter open. His vision was blurred at first as he looked around the familiar room, his hands grasping onto his silk blankets tightly. He had no memory of coming into this room. A frown formed on his face as he felt himself in pajamas. He didn't remember getting into these either. Someone must've changed him.

An unclean thought passed through his head, whispering that he hoped it was Shirayuki who had changed him. A blush started to creep up onto his neck, staying even after he had pushed the thought away.

But a different thought popped into his head. No, not a thought...it was a memory. A memory of what had happened last night.

"Shirayuki!" His voice echoed through the room, her name floating in his head as he jerked up into a sitting position. Everything ran into his head at once. Her disappearance, the note, Kiki. It all surged through his veins until the anger he had felt last night filled him again. Filled with rage, yet worry was starting to over take it. He actually had some time to think now. Time to let it soak in.

Zen jumped from his bed, landing on his feet with ease. Though his head felt sore when he moved, he didn't stop. His pace was fast while he headed straight for the door, figuring out in his head how to solve this situation. They had solved all the other ones before but this was different. This attacker, he knew about Zen. He knew what Shirayuki was to Zen so he couldn't just surprise attack him. The attacker would probably be expecting a retaliation, that's why he was there last night. To protect the messenger.

 _The messenger._

That's the person he would have to talk to. The person he would get the answers from. He didn't know how much it would take to 'persuade' the man into coughing up, but Zen would do whatever it takes. Since right now, that was their only lead.

Slowly, Zen placed his hand on the doorknob then turned it until he heard the click. He promptly pushed it open with ease, letting it swing open before continuing to walk, not even caring that he was still in his silky silver pajamas. Shirayuki was the only thing on his mind.

"Rushing away so quickly?" A familiar voice asked from beside him as Zen walked out of his room, almost jogging.

Zen didn't stop right away, he slowly down a little as he turned his head to see who would greet him in that way. There were a few people in his head, but that voice definitely didn't belong to them.

"Lord Brother." Zen mumbled as he saw his blonde haired brother leaning against the wall right outside the door of Zen's bedroom. He frowned lightly, letting himself stop but he didn't take the time to be polite or even bow. He had other things on his mind. Things more important.

Izana nodded lightly, not saying anything. His face was kind of dull, almost emotionless. Which was a bit weird to see on Izana's face. Sometimes it was like that if he was with a lot of people...but rarely when he was with just Zen.

"I heard about what happened." Izana stated, staring at Zen before looking off to the side, staring into the distance and nothingness. "I am sorry for what happened to your red haired friend," He said with a frown before he let his face become emotionless again, purposely avoiding her name, "But you know that we cannot give them their demands right?"

"Of course." Zen replied with a not, his tone showed that he felt a bit offended by the fact that Haruka thought Zen would do that, "We will not negotiate with people like them."

"And I know you're going to go after her, I know I can't stop you." Izana continued, "But I can't provide you with the resources you need. And the only men that will accompany you are the ones willing." He added in.

"I understand." Zen nodded.

"And you will keep this under the radar." Izana stated, his tone getting more stern for that command.

"May I ask why?" Zen questioned with a slightly raised eyebrow.

"We don't want too many people to know that you are with Shirayuki or that she means this much to you because this could happen again. Maybe even worse." Izana deadpanned as he looked at Zen, his eyes cold yet familiar. He was trying to protect Zen...

"I understand." Zen repeated, bowing his head a little but not too much, just enough to tell his brother that he actually understood the meaning behind the words. Haruka didn't reply though, he didn't even look at Zen then. His eyes were elsewhere, avoiding complete contact with his younger brother. If Zen was younger, he may have been worried but now...he understood his brother better. Not completely...but better.

"Just don't kill him." Izana added in quickly.

Zen gave him another nod before turning on his heel to continue walking down the hallway. His pace quickly turned into a light jog despite his aching headache and silky pajamas. He went further down the hallway until the door came closer and his brother was no longer in sight. Only one thing was in his head as he wrapped his hand around the knob and opened the door.

 _I'll find you._


	4. Chapter 4

The leaves rustled against the wind as Obi zoomed past them, jumping from branch to branch with ease. His legs finding exactly where to land without his mind even having to think about it. Running through the trees, staying hidden, it was all apart of his nature. People had to die for it to become his nature...but he didn't regret it. He regretted that people would've had to die, that Shirayuki herself had almost died from it...but now these skills were giving him the chance to protect her again. Keep her safe.

He scowled slightly as he remembered that he let her slip from his hands. That if he had just insisted on going with her to meet her friend. If he had only been there with her...he could've prevented all of this.

A cracking sound ringing in Obi's ears brought him back to his senses. He jumped from that branch again, listening as it fell to the ground and plunged into the snow. He almost didn't make it that time. He had gotten distracted and had forgotten what was important. Because of that, he had almost gotten injured and if he had...then he wouldn't be much help to Shirayuki.

He had to keep going.

* * *

"Tell me where she is." Zen growled as he glowered down at the man sitting before him, his hands in chains that connected to the wall. The man was bruised and his hands blistered but he had no cuts on him. Not yet at least.

"I don't know." The man replied with a desperate voice, his eyes wide and panicky. He winced slightly when Zen raised his hand again, his sword sheathed for now and he hoped he wouldn't have to take it out but he wouldn't hesitate to. Not with Shirayuki on the line.

"Then why are you even here?" Zen asked, his tone harsh and full of venom but he didn't care. This man threatened Shirayuki.

"I'm a messenger." The man repeated himself again. It had already gone in a circle like this many times, Zen asked the same questions while the man gave him the same answers. Zen wasn't incapable of asking any other questions but he couldn't find enough time or enough room in his head to get new questions to ask the man. The same name roamed through his head each time, stopping him from thinking of anything else.

Truthfully, he didn't want to think about anything but Shirayuki but he would have to if he wanted to get her back.

"Your majesty..." A guard mumbled nervously from behind the white haired prince. Despite the fact that the guard had done nothing, Zen snapped his head back at him and glared towards the guard.

"What?" He hissed.

The guard visibly winced but continued one with what he as saying, "You might want to try...getting different information."

Zen held back a retort and looked back down at the man, his scowl still evident on his face. "Where do you meet?" He asked instead, his voice still as harsh as he took the guard's advice even though he had thought it already. The guard telling him to do it...kind of made him feel motivated to do it. In an odd way.

"We don't." The man answered with a slightly relieved expression at the change in questions.

"Excuse me?" Zen questioned with a growl.

"We don't meet." The man repeated himself, backing up a little at the growl before explaining, "I just walk around somewhere waving the letter around and I'm found."

"You're found?" Zen asked him, keeping the look on his face to continue intimidating him even though it was almost a bit.

"Yes. I'm found. It's exactly as I said. We have no meeting place, we're not stupid enough to arrange something like that." The man explained, his fingers twitching as his pinky clawed against the dirty steel of the chains around his wrists.

Zen nodded, his scowl still staying in place as thoughts ran through his head. Most of them were still of Shirayuki, of her face, her hair, her smile, it just made him feel warm inside. If she was here beside him, maybe he'd be able to stay calm, maybe still have his thoughts in place. But she wasn't beside him anymore and it was this man's fault.

"Sir..." The guard spoke up quietly, looking over at the prince, "Someone is here."

"Tell them to go away." Zen snapped.

The guard winced again but he kept going, earning a little respect from Zen as he did, "He says it's important."

"This is more important."

"Your majesty...he says a letter attached to an arrow was found in your bedroom."

Zen jerked his head up at the arrow part, glancing over at the guard and using his hand to gesture to let the man come in. The guard nodded and moved to the side, letting one of the palace messengers walk in formally. The man held a plate with a letter in it and kept his chin up a bit, pretending that he wasn't looking at the man in chains curiously.

As his eyes trailed along the letters, they slow widened in both rage and surprise. Barely even half way through, it was ripped into pieces again, but it was more than two. It was in five pieces, spread along the dirty floor. Zen's hands visibly twitched as he turned on his heel and headed out of the cell.

"Do not mention this to anyone but Kiki and Mitsuhide." Zen ordered the guard and messenger, not turning to look at them as he heard the footsteps of the messenger coming out of the cell as well.

"Understood, majesty." They said in unison.

Zen didn't reply as he left, his hand clutching onto his sword protectively. But not for the sword...

For his friends...

* * *

Obi didn't know where to go honestly. He had no path to follow, no leads, no one telling him where to go. He was just searching aimlessly, hoping for the best. But at least he had some sort of instinct for this stuff, since he was an assassin. He had an idea about where good kidnappers would go to hide. Away from the one they were ransoming too for one thing.

Yet... the kidnapper was there that night. The night his messenger came. He had no reason to protect him if he was just a messenger, messengers were easy to replace. So he definitely wasn't picked randomly. Maybe they were apart of a group.

Obi frowned as he thought of that, it was silly to have thought it was just one kidnapper. So far, it's been all groups that kidnapped her while he's been here. Going off alone wasn't the smartest idea either, especially if it was a giant group. Yet...standing around and waiting for something to happen. Waiting for the morning. Waiting...he didn't want to wait.

Not when Shirayuki was at stake.

She was special to him. Even if he couldn't be honest about his feelings, even if he knew that she obviously didn't feel the same way, she was special to him. And so was Zen. He wouldn't be a servant to just anyone obviously.

A smile tugged at his lips at the memory of the two. And to think...he would've willingly killed Shirayuki a month earlier. He doubted he would've ever looked back on it if he did. The times changed...in a good way he supposed. He was happier with the group. Happier than he could've been as an assassin at least.

Obi's eyes narrowed as he heard something behind him. It wouldn't have bothered him much if it didn't sound like something landing on a branch in the tree he was just in. Auspiciously, the man snapped his head back. His eyes widened at the figure behind him, it wasn't there a second ago. He barely even got to look at the figure before watching the stick with metal fly in the air, aiming straight for him.

He was fast, pulling out one of his throwing knives before the arrow even hit him. Obi knew he couldn't dodge this mid air, but he could at least fight back. Just as the sharp metal pierced into his shoulder, he hurled his knife. The aim was off, but it sliced the cheek of the kidnapper.

Obi held back a yell as he fell to the ground, his back smashing against the cold ground underneath him. The red liquid seeped from his shirt quickly, spreading along the grass until the blades themselves turned red. Obi watched as the kidnapper turned away and ran, only having been able to see their eyes since the rest of them was covered.

"Damn it..." He grunted as he continued to lay in a pool of his own blood with a stick of wood sticking out from his shoulder, not even a tiny part of the head was able to be seen, "Damn it...damn it...damn it..."


	5. Chapter 5

"Are you sure you're fine to move?" The worried cyan haired man mumbled, seated in the chair beside Kiki's bed. She had been sent down to the court herbalists and healers instantly after getting the arrow pierced through her hand. They had gotten the arrow out and patched her up, a herbalist that Mitsuhide didn't know gave her some ointment as well to help her get through the pain and to stop the bleeding if it acts up again.

After that, Mitsuhide had insisted on carrying Kiki to her bed despite her many complaints. Luckily, she didn't argue it too much. She had lost a lot of blood and fell asleep in his arms while he was making his way to her room. Mitsuhide didn't want to wake her, especially since she looked so peaceful, so he brought her to her bed and tucked her in after getting her armour off of her. Then...he just kind of fell asleep in the chair next to her bed. He couldn't bring himself to leave after she had just gotten so injured but he hadn't planned on staying the night either. He planted himself in the chair to watch over her for a little bit but the exhaustion from the whole day just took him over.

Then he woke up in her room, with Kiki staring down at him from her bed.

"I'm fine." She insisted as she started to force herself out of bed, not listening to Mitsuhide's arguments at all. She was so stubborn.

"You were shot through the hand with an arrow." Mitsuhide stated while he stared at her. She wasn't slow nor did she seem weak as she crawled out of bed but Mitsuhide could see her wince every time her hand touched something or applied pressure to anything. It still hurt her.

"I'm. Fine." She repeated more slowly, talking to Mitsuhide like he was a child. She was being condescending but it didn't really bother him since he knew she was in pain and he knew how she was. Kiki wanted to get back to work right away, she wanted to protect again. She's never actually had a vacation before. Or a day off. The only time she did was because Zen forced her to, and she didn't go down easy. Luckily she had the flu then so it was a bit easier with her mind kind of zonked but her mind was fine. It was just her hand that was hurting her.

"Fine." Mitsuhide sighed, knowing he couldn't win a fight like that. Not against Kiki at least. Maybe Zen since he was a little less stubborn.

"Good." Kiki grumbled as she used her arms, trying not to wince, to push herself up until she was standing. A stern expression was planted on her face. She was worried about Shirayuki, that was obvious. Especially after what had happened the night before. Mitsuhide was too of course but he couldn't just forget about Kiki, he couldn't not be worried about her too when she could've died the night before. It just irked him that she didn't seem to be worried about herself. But...that was Kiki for you.

"Now get out so I can get changed." She grumbled and gave him a light yet strict glare. Mitsuhide let out a weary sigh before pulling himself out of the chair with ease, just a little exhausted for the night's events. He gave a nod towards Kiki before heading over to her door. His hand wrapped around the doorknob and he pulled it open. Mitsuhide walked out then closed it behind him, leaving Kiki alone.

He sighed again as he heard the click of the door to indicate that it was closed. The clomps of his footsteps echoed through the hallway as he made his way through the place, his mind racing and trying to get everything in order. He knew he was at least more calm than Zen would be. Which meant that the white haired prince would definitely need Mitsuhide by his side.

The cyan haired man shook his head as he continued to walk, turning and taking himself outside into the fresh air. It smelled nice out with the scent of flowers and trees clouding the air. It always smelled like this though, this scent always lingered in the air during this season yet Mitsuhide never really noticed it. He never had time to, his mind was always on something else. True, he shouldn't have time to now either. He should be worried about Kiki and Shirayuki. He should be by Zen's side to help him get through this too. But...

Mitsuhide just needed a breath of fresh air sometimes.

"Sir." A voice spoke up from behind, making Mitsuhide jump a little at the suddenness of it. He had enough self control to not touch his sword and instead just glanced back to see who had addressed him.

It was a guard that Mitsuhide didn't quite know the name of but he knew that he adored Shirayuki at least.

"Yes?" Mitsuhide questioned, not liking the serious look on his face. Most guards wore serious looks, yes, but this was more than 'serious' it was intense. It was worried.

"Prince Zen instructed me not to tell anyone but you and Kiki." The guard stated then held out five small pieces of paper that looked like they had been ripped recently.

"What is it?" Mitsuhide questioned, eyeing the pieces of paper in the guard's hand.

The guard hung his head a bit while a guilty expression spread across his face, "A letter from the kidnapper. I apologize for reading it sir, I have no excuses." The guard explained himself and kept his head hung, "But I believe you should read it as well. Prince Zen will most likely inform you of it if he hasn't already but I...thought you might like to read it yourself...in case you got something of it. I can't but you're smarter than me."

Mitsuhide continued to eye the pieces of paper for a moment before nodding and taking it from the man's hand, he looked at the guard's eyes for a moment before speaking, "You're forgiven this time but don't let it happen again." He told him.

The guard perked up a little, as if he wasn't expecting that reply, but it sure seemed to lift his spirits.

"Thank you, sir." The guard said and bowed lightly to show respect. Mitsuhide nodded again and gave a light wave, dismissing the guard, who got out of there pretty quickly and seemed to be thrilled not to get into any trouble. Mitsuhide didn't have the heart to punish someone for just trying to find out what was going on for something they cared about.

True, he disobeyed the prince's orders, but Mitsuhide had a feeling that Zen would dismiss him as well.

Another sigh left Mitsuhide again as he put the pieces of paper together, trying place them in the right spots to figure out what the letter contained. It took a few tries before he could, but he started reading when it seemed to be successful.

 _Dear Prince Zen,_

 _I must say, you acted rather quickly. I didn't expect you to send someone out the night of, I thought maybe you would wait until the morning since you are supposed to be rather generous after all. Actually, to be fairly honest, I believed that you would come yourself instead of sending a lackey. I'm rather disappointed. However, the lackey you sent wasn't that horrendous, he did fine for a little bit. Yet, now he lay dead on the grass with his blood pooled around him._

 _Because of you acting against my wishes, I have broken one of the your lover's feet. You can guess which one. I also advise that you let the messenger go since he's mainly only there for your sake._

 _Yours Truly,_

 _Vengeance._

Mitsuhide couldn't get to Zen's room fast enough.

* * *

"Your majesty..." An annoying voice spoke once more. Honestly, Zen had nothing against the guy talking, he was just doing his job. But his voice was so bland yet pushy at the same time. The man, the adviser, wanted Zen to stop stressing about Shirayuki. To stop making this the first priority. He had other things to do since he was the prince. The kingdom was always supposed to come first for him, that was his responsibility.

But the kingdom didn't need him then, Shirayuki did.

"Zen." A more familiar voice called out this time as Zen could hear the door to his office room opening. The white haired prince brought his eyes up to see his bodyguard/friend, Mitsuhide. Zen hadn't seen him all morning, but he didn't fight it or even question it. The prince wasn't fool enough to see past how Mitsuhide feels about Kiki. Zen was worried too of course, but he knew Kiki could live. And she could handle it. Shirayuki...he didn't know for sure that she would live.

He scowled just at the thought of something like that happening to Shirayuki.

He had to get her out of there.

Zen pushed away his scowl to look a little more proper then waved the adviser off when his friend entered the room. The adviser seemed hesitant but he didn't dare defy the orders of the prince.

"Mitsuhide." Zen nodded as the adviser left the room, closing the door behind him.

"I saw the note." Mitsuhide stated bluntly.

Zen frowned but nodded again, not saying anything else.

"The 'lackey', "Mitsuhide started hesitantly, his tone showing that he didn't believe that it was actually a lackey, "...was it Obi?"

Zen opened his mouth to answer, he didn't have an exact answer since he didn't send Obi out to get the kidnapper but he did note that he hadn't seen Obi at all that day and Obi was always around. However, just as he opened his mouth, his door opened burst open for the second day in a row. But this time, it wasn't a messenger. Instead it was little Ryu.

The two men stared in bewilderment at the boy who had charged his way into the prince's office then took a moment to catch his breath. Neither of the men said anything, they waited for Ryu to speak first since it was abnormal for him to do something like this.

After taking a few seconds to regain himself, Ryu looked back up with distress clearly written across his face, "Obi...Obi's hurt!"


	6. Chapter 6

His shoulder hurt like heck. He wished he could say he had never felt pain like this, this was new to him. But honestly, he had felt worse than this. It still hurt of course, and his shirt soaked with his own blood wasn't comfortable in the slightest. Yet he had to deal with something like this before, something worse than this, but that also meant that he knew how to deal with it.

Obi grimaced as he forced himself to a sitting position, thankful that the attacker had gotten cocky and decided not to finish the job. His vision was hazy and everything seemed to be like a blur when he had just sat up, Obi wasn't sure he could dodge a second arrow.

Grunting, the man put a hand where the arrow was sticking from, tempted to take the arrow out. His whole body screamed at him to take the arrow out, but Obi knew better. Taking the arrow out would only make more blood spill from his shoulder and he could die faster. He would die faster.

He let his eyes flutter close as he kept holding onto his shoulder. He could feel how wet his shirt was from his blood and he didn't like the feeling. It wasn't enough to kill him yet, but it was still coming out even at a slow rate. If he lost enough, he would die still just as if he was taking the arrow out. It would just take longer. However, that gave him time to get someone. Get help.

Obi put his other hand down on the ground beside him and forced himself to stand up. He used his legs to push himself into a crouching position then took a break as his vision hazed up again, his breathing started to stagger and his legs shook. Both his hands went to the ground to hold himself steady, trying not to fall. It took a few moments, but Obi was finally able to get himself back together. Well enough at least. He still couldn't see that great nor did his legs stop to shake. But he was able to calm himself down for the most part.

Biting his lip to push away the pain, Obi forced himself to stand up completely and his knees went crazy. They were shaking uncontrollably. He was a whole lot weaker than he wanted to be. Well he never wanted to be weak, to be honest. Actually that's a lie, he didn't mind being weak then taking a sick day. Then Shirayuki would spoil him and he would just get to lay in bed all day. That always felt nice.

 _No..._

He shook away that thought and waited until his knees steadied even the slightest amount before taking a step forward, he had to concentrate. His whole body howled in pain at the one step. It was like electricity had shot up his nervous system and spiked every single part of him he could. He grit in teeth but beared through it, endured it.

 _I've done worse..._ He kept reminding himself, hoping that would somehow take away the pain. That just the fact that he had been through worse would take it all away. It didn't help.

 _For Shirayuki..._ Obi pushed into his mind instead, thinking that might do the trick better. And in a way, it did. It filled him with more determination, determination to push away the aching pain in his body, the stabbing feeling like the arrow was shooting through him again and again. He had pushed it away a bit and was able to take another step forward. Then another. And another. But by the fifth step, Obi collapsed onto the ground in front of him, his consciousness faded completely when he made contact with the hard soil.

* * *

"What happened to him?" The familiar voice of Zen's female friend spoke as the group of three stood around the infirmary table where their friend laid. The chief herbalist was next to Mitsuhide, currently adding some ointments to Obi's fresh wound. When he had arrived, he had a badly wrapped bandage around his shoulder and some crappy cream smeared across the shoulder. He had been brought in then the healers did what they could with getting out any fragments of wood of stone from his wound and stitched him up. After that, they had let the chief herbalist do the rest of the work. Which wasn't much, to be honest. She just had to find something that could help him heal faster and ease the pain.

"The guy that showed up said he found him in the forest with an arrow in his shoulder." The chief herbalist explained what she knew.

Zen frowned but nodded at the information, "And where is he now?" he asked.

"He's waiting outside with some guards to accompany him just in case." Mitsuhide answered for the herbalist.

"Can you talk to him please?" Zen asked looking over at Mitsuhide instead of Kiki. He didn't want to put too much on her for now especially after she herself got an arrow in her shoulder. Seemed like the kidnapper was fond of bow and arrows...

Mitsuhide nodded quickly and turned on his heel before heading out of the room to do what the prince had told him too, his coat swaying behind him as he left. Zen turned back to the herbalist then down at Obi, scowling at the thought of him being injured like this. But he also fisted his hands whenever he thought of what had happened to Shirayuki, as well. The pain she'd have felt. How he couldn't be there for her.

He winced slightly as he glanced down a his hand, noticing that his nail had broke skin. Small drops of blood dripped from his hand but he shook it off, thinking about Shirayuki again.

Was it a bad thing that part of him blamed Obi for what happened to Shirayuki? Not her getting kidnapped but...of her foot getting broken. Of the kidnapper hurting her. Zen never told Obi to go out, to go find the kidnapper. Yet he did it on his own. Zen pushed the thought away, the accusation, and reminded himself that Obi just wanted to help Shirayuki. The only person to blame was the one that actually did it. Obi wasn't at fault and Zen felt guilty for thinking such a thing like that.

"You okay?" Kiki asked, notincing the guilty frown that had formed on Zen's face as he fell into his mind's hands.

Zen jerked his head towards the blonde, snapping from his thoughts and taking a few moments to recollect himself before he gave her an assuring nod. "I'm fine. I'm just..having trouble trying to figure this out." He told her honestly. Kiki was easy to talk to, easier than one would actually believe her to be. She came off as the cold and angry type, but she really wasn't. She wasn't sweet either, that was clear, but she wasn't cold. She was just...understanding.

"I know." Kiki mumbled and crossed her arms, letting her bandaged hand rest on her armour, "It is hard but we'll be able to do it, to get through it. We've always been able to before, haven't we?"

Zen sighed slightly but gave her a nod, agreeing with her silently. His mouth started to open so he could say something else when he heard a grunt from the man laying on the bed. Snapping his head over to Obi, Zen watched as the brown haired man struggled to get his eyes open, biting his bottom lip while sweat poured down his face.

"Obi." Zen called out and moved closer to him, getting right beside his head and staring down at him. He could feel Kiki's eyes on him from behind before they moved over to Obi. She wasn't one to show her concern, but Zen knew she was worried about Obi just as much as he was.

"M-Master..?" The man mumbled as one of his eyes slowly etched open, squinting at first before he was able to open it fully, quickly followed by the other one. Zen didn't reply right away and Obi's eyes widened before his body started to shake. He attempted jolting up, but the herbalist caught him and pushed him back down so he was lying on the bed again.

"Shirayuki!" Obi exclaimed, his left hand shaking uncontrollably beside him, "I have to help her!"

"Calm down!" Zen ordered as Obi pushed against the herbalist harder like he wasn't injured at all. Zen placed his hands on Obi's chest and pushed down as well to help the herbalist out. With his added strength, they were able to keep him down until he was able to control himself again.

Obi's breathing started to slow down as his head jerked around the place, his eyes still wide as they examined the room he was in. Slowly, his body calmed down until he was just laying on the bed again. His left hand was still shaking, but that was the only part of him moving rapidly.

"What...what happened?" Obi breathed, his eyes staying focused on Zen.

"You arrived here with a stranger and you apparently had an arrow in your shoulder." Zen explained, sighing a little out of relief when Obi regained himself, "The rest we don't know."

"The stranger said he found you in a forest and he tried to help you out. He got into town and some guards recognized you so they brought you here." Kiki added in after Zen finished the explanation of what he knew.

"Forest..." Obi mumbled with a frown, as if the memories were coming over him again, "Shirayuki." he repeated quietly to himself.

"Did you find her?" Zen asked, trying not make his voice sound a bit rushed or hopeful, but it didn't turn out the way he wanted.

Obi frowned some more and leaned his head back into the pillow, he sighed before shaking his head weakly, "No, I didn't."

A flash of disappointment flashed across Zen's face before he wiped it away, "Who were you attacked by then?" he asked instead, attempting to find some answers.

Obi took a moment to think about it before nodding, "I think it was the kidnapper."

"Okay. Thank you." Zen said politely then put his hand on Obi's head, frowning at the cold touch, "You rest now okay? I have a plan."

Obi frowned again but he couldn't stop himself from closing his eyes, as if he was obeying Zen unwillingly.

"A plan?" Kiki questioned as Zen turned over to her again, removing his hand.

Zen gave her a small, proud smile, " A plan."


	7. Chapter 7

"I'm sorry."

Those words were strange to hear. She had heard them many times before, yes. They have been heard by many different people with many different voices, sometimes she didn't even know the names of the people. They just bumped into her and instinctively apologized. Shirayuki herself had given out many apologies. Yet hearing those words, hearing those words actually be sincere and from her kidnapper was strange. Unnatural.

"Then let me go..." Shirayuki mumbled, her voice as weak as she felt. Her hands were bound behind her by chains, her legs were free but she couldn't muster up any strength to move her good foot. She had been doused with something when she was first kidnapped and she was getting repeated doses whenever they started to wear off. Shirayuki didn't even have the strength to try and think about what she was being doused with.

"I can't." The kidnapped said, her face covered with a scarf with blonde strands of hair dangling but Shirayuki could still tell by the voice that it was a she.

Shirayuki didn't reply, a wince cutting her off. The cooling sensation of the cream being applied to her broken ankle stung at first before it made her shiver a little. The pain from the broken ankle was sticking with her, but she was able to push it away unless pressure was applied to it. Or anything touched it. However, after the stinging, the stabbing feeling from the injury started to cool down a bit. It started to calm.

"What...is...that..." Shirayuki mumbled, her words jagged and getting weaker. She struggled to look over at the woman, her vision hazy and blurry. She could see a little, she could see a blurred figure moving its arm back and form. Her eyes glanced down to where the hand of the figure was, barely able to see the colour of cream being applied to her. However, even with seeing the colour, her mind couldn't put a name to the colour much less the medicine.

"A cream." The woman replied, her voice sounding a bit more bitter than it had before. Like the cream itself bothered her.

"What...crea..." Shirayuki's words died out before she got to finish the sentence and her eyes closed, her consciousness completely faded.

The blonde haired woman stared down at Shirayuki's limp body, assuming that the drug had finally kicked in. She let out a small sigh as she finished rubbing the cream onto the ankle and wiped the remaining cream on her hands onto her shirt. Her hand put the cap back onto the cream and placed it on the ground before grabbing some bandages. She wrapped it around the swollen part of the ankle before breaking it off and tying it up, doing the best she could but without doing too much at the same time.

The woman glanced down at Shirayuki again and another sigh left her.

"Poor girl..." She mumbled to herself as she pushed herself into a standing position, "She seemed sweet."

The woman started to move towards the door and opened it when she got there, "Too bad she had to be a cheater." She grumbled venomously then left the room completely.

* * *

"That plan...is reasonable." Kiki stated after hearing Zen out. It was basically her version of saying that she approved of it. Whether or not she liked it was a completely different thing.

"Yeah. Just as long as we-I come with." Mitsuhide nodded, quickly changing his words when he recalled Kiki's wound. He could almost feel the anger radiating off of her body at the simple correction. Honestly, it scared him a little.

"I'm fine to go with." Kiki grumbled, glaring hard at Mitsuhide. The cyan haired man sweatdropped and quickly averted his eyes away from the woman, wishing not to face her wrath. But at the same time, he wasn't going to stop fighting it.

"You're injured..." He mumbled weakly, trying to stay confident but it failed hard. He shifted in his spot and leaned on his left side, his hands staying by his side as he kept his eyes away from her. The anger radiating around her quickly turned into fury. Before she could speak, Mitsuhide gave Zen a quick glance for help but Zen denied, being too scared himself.

"I'm FINE." Kiki repeated and yelled the second word to emphasize her point.

"Kiki," Zen finally intervened so Mitsuhide wouldn't get killed, "I'd feel much safer if you remained here with anyone else that Shirayuki is close to like Ryu. We don't know how crazy this person is, we don't know what else they might do."

"There are other guards." Kiki argued quickly but by the tone of her voice is was obvious that she was weakening. It was just by a little bit, but it was still good. It was very good.

"I don't trust them as much as I trust you." Zen stated, adding it in to try and appeal to Kiki more. To add emotions to weaken her a little bit more. Zen agreed with Mitsuhide, she was injured. He trusted her to be able to do things even with the injury though, but he didn't want her to. Just in case she got hurt.

Kik scowled but she didn't argue it that time, "Fine..."

* * *

"Your disguise is pathetic." Zen grumbled as he watched his friend lean against the wall of a nearby building. Mistuhide had just worn an outfit different from a soldier's uniform and a hat to cover part of his hair. He didn't even bother to hide his face. Zen, on the other hand, wore a more 'poor' outfit (at least he thought it was) and a big black cloak that covered both his hair and faced. He also kept his head turned away from the culprit so his face would've been even more hidden.

"Oh well." Mitsuhide said with a shrug as he crossed his arms, his eyes darting around the place. He wasn't too bad at it, Zen would give him that, but he wasn't the best either. Zen was by far better than him, but he's had a lot of practice from those days that he would sneak out of the castle and had to avoid all the guards. It was kind of like second nature for him.

Zen watched as the culprit, the 'messenger', walked around a run down little city. A note was clutched in his hand and his head looked around all over the place. Honestly, Zen thought he had agreed to the plan too quickly. He had actually thought the messenger was the loyal type so it was surprising. Zen only had to threaten with some jail time.

Their plan was to let the messenger go off and find the actual kidnapper. Zen and Mitsuhide were to follow. Zen hadn't wanted to tell the messenger in case it went wrong but Kiki had proposed they did. Just in case he spotted them or something. She figured he could threaten his life, say he'd go down for treason. An empty threat, but it would most likely had been enough to scare him.

Yet they didn't even need that threat.

It was...disarming.

The man turned away from Zen before he started to head over to another part of town. Mitsuhide frowned then turned to Zen, "What if it's a trap?" he questioned, thinking the same thing Zen was.

"Then we'll just have to beat some guys up." Zen grinned as he replied quickly.

Mitsuhide snorted as he turned his head back over to the messenger, Zen doing the same thing. However, when they brought their gaze back to where he should've been, the messenger was gone completely. Lost in the crowds.

"Damn it." Mitsuhide cursed at the disappearance of the man. He traced his eyes over the groups of people he couldn't see him.

"Should we split up and searched?" Zen suggested, frowning.

"I don't think that's a good idea. Especially if it is a trap." Mitsuhide stated but Zen had his mind set already. Not even considering what Mitsuhide had said, Zen started to walk over to the left. He knew splitting up was quicker and quicker was better for Shirayuki.

He heard a sigh behind him then footsteps, headed in the opposite direction. The white haired prince was grateful that he didn't argue it. Mitsuhide knew how important this was for him. How desperate Zen was to find Shirayuki.

As the man walked, his eyes tracing around everywhere, he lost how much distance there was between them. It didn't really matter though, Zen had his sword and he trusted himself enough with it to beat whoever the kidnapper was. They seemed to be a fan of arrows anyways...

"Help! Thief!" A feminine voice screamed from the side. Zen jerked his head towards the scream to see an older lady and a man wrapped in a mask and darker clothes dart across the cobblestone ground with a bag of gold. Honestly, Zen was ashamed of the hesitation that he had when he saw the man. Even though it was only a little, Zen was still ashamed that he was hesitant about helping the woman.

Shirayuki would be upset about that too.

In an instance, Zen darted towards the thief. The woman continued to scream for help from behind even with Zen pursing the thief. He pushed passed the crowds, moving people aside as he continued to run and ignoring their curses at him. The thief was fast but Zen was faster. He watched as the thief took a turn into an alley. On instinct, Zen followed him into the alleyway with no hesitation this time.

However, at the moment he went in, he found an arrow aimed at his chest.


	8. Chapter 8

"I'm going to take it that this is an ambush?" Zen exclaimed and lifted his hands so they were beside his head. He eyed the the shining piece of iron sharpened to a point aimed directly at his chest. His gaze fell over to the hand holding the piece of string holding the weapon that could easily kill him back. The hand wasn't shaking. It was nice and firm, the arrow wouldn't accidentally slip anytime soon.

The man stayed silent, a mask still wrapped around his face. It covered his mouth and forehead but his eyes were revealed. They were diamond blue, kind of pretty to be honest, but they looked so angry. So enraged with Zen's mere presence. It was obviously the kidnapper.

"Are you going to kill me?" Zen asked him with a raised eyebrow, his eyes drifting over to around them and above to see if there were any more guys. There weren't. So far, this person was all alone. However, they were able to sneak past castle guards and even trick Shirayuki by using her past life. This man wasn't dumb.

No response still.

"I told you what I want." The man stated, his voice venomous...yet a bit higher than he imagined.

"And I can't give you that." Zen replied, his voice calm and casual. He didn't believe that the man would kill him, possibly injure, but he wouldn't die. If the man wanted him dead then Zen would've died the moment he stepped into that alleyway.

"Are material objects more important than your lovers life?" The man exclaimed, his voice sounding like he was offended. Zen scowled at that statement because anyone with two could see how much Zen cared about Shirayuki but that didn't mean he was going to give in to a terrorist. If he did, the kidnapper could easily use the money from his sword and the crown to get more weapons, hurt more people.

That didn't mean he was giving up on her either. He was just getting her back another way.

"You know nothing." Zen snapped, a bit of anger bursting through his lips.

"I used to know nothing." He corrected with a harsh tone again, "I used to believe that our kingdom was better than neighbouring kingdoms. That you were kind, you cared for your people, and you weren't stuck up assholes. I was wrong."

Zen frowned at his words. He knew not everyone liked the way their kingdom ruled, you could never please everyone. But the reason that his opinion had changed peaked in his curiousity a bit.

"And why is that?" Zen asked him, "Why is it that you don't think that anymore."

The man stared at him, his eyes full of sorrow for a split second before they became vengeful and furious again. "Because you're a bunch of bastards." He growled.

Zen frowned since he didn't answer his question completely but he didn't push on it. Again, he didn't know how crazy this guy was. He might just get fed up and put an arrow in Zen's heart.

"What is this for then?" Zen asked, the frown still evident on his face as he looked the man up and down. Examining him, searching him for weaknesses. Something that could help him if they ended up fighting. Honestly, he kind of hoped they did. There was no sign of a sign, only a small knife. If Zen could get him away from the bow then he would be able to attack. He could force him to tell him where Shirayuki is.

"Personally, killing your lover won't do me as much good as I'd hoped." The man stated, sounding truthful when he did, "And as I've mentioned, it seems that material items are more important. I was actually going to make a new arrangement."

"Like?" Zen questioned while watching him closely. A new arrangement... Zen was positive that he wouldn't accept whatever the ultimatum was, not when the man was still here. In front of him. And Mitsuhide would most likely catch on soon as well, come looking for Zen. It would be a two against one and a surprise one at that. Zen would have the advantage yet...he was still curious on what he had to say.

"I want to personally give you forty lashes. In public." The man declared with a harsh yet firm stare.

"No." Zen replied pretty quickly.

"Then you'll never find Shirayuki." He exclaimed, his tone still harsh but it was getting to be a little bit more...on the crazy side, "You can take me if you want. You and your little guard. You can torture me, humiliate me, but I will never tell where she is. On my last breath, I will laugh at you while she starves to death surrounded by nothing."

He was quick. At the moment of pulling his sword out, Zen sidestepped the arrow. His eyes followed as it flew past him. It would've hit him in the shoulder if he had stayed. His gaze fell back at the man in front of him and he charged.

There wasn't much logical thought process in the attack, but Zen had gotten mad. Enraged by his threat towards Shirayuki that the prince just couldn't stop himself from pulling out his sword.

He glowered as the man jumped back, successfully dodging Zen's swing. His feet moved to the side before charging again, starting to run in a zig zag to catch the man off guard. The man watched him, taking out his little knife but just ended up jumping back when Zen swung again. Zen moved faster that time though, jumping forward quickly and swiped at where his legs were while he fell. The man screeched out in pain at the blade made contact with his shins, cutting them, but it wasn't too deep. Zen felt no sympathy as he stepped back, letting the man tumble to the ground.

"Tell me where she is." Zen growled, holding his sword to the man's head.

The man laid face down and flat on the ground as some blood pooled onto the cobblestone. He was quiet at first but then some cackling started, amused cackling, "You moron...I told you I won't tell you."

"Then I'll kill you." Zen threatened and this time it didn't feel as empty.

"That still won't work. We've been over this. I'm the only one that knows where she's hidden. If you kill me then you'll never find her." He exclaimed, sounding kind of happy. Excited even.

"I'll make you tell." Zen growled as he heard footsteps behind him. The man snapped his head over to where he heard the footsteps but he didn't let the sword move away from the one on the ground, not being stupid enough to. The prince felt a bit relieved when he saw his cyan haired friend around at the center of the alleyway, staring at them both.

"He's the kidnapper." Zen exclaimed before bringing his attention back to the one on the ground.

"What are you going to do?" Mitsuhide asked, sounding uncertain.

Zen frowned at his uncertainty before answering, "We're going to bring him back and let Kiki interrogate him."

Mitsuhide smiled at the answer and nodded, "Good."

"Kiki...the blonde girl?" The man questioned quietly.

"Yep." Mitsuhide replied with a smirk, "And she's not happy with you."

The man didn't say anything but that threat made even Zen scared.

The man was in for a whole lot of pain.


	9. Chapter 9

"Nothing?" Zen grumbled as Kiki returned to him after being in the kidnapper's cell for quite some time.

The woman stared at Zen before shaking her head, her hands a little bloody but not too much. Honestly, the prince doubted that she had done too much against him. More likely she had broken his nose and that's why her hand had blood on it, not that she stabbed him or anything. If she got mad enough...she might hurt him some more. A lot more. But she wasn't cruel enough to just start out like that.

"Crap. What do we do if he won't talk?" Mitsuhide asked with a grumble too, his hand clutching onto his sword hilt but didn't do anything with it.

"I'll find a way to make her talk." Kiki replied, emphasizing on the female part...which surprised Zen a little bit. He wasn't sexist but...he supposed he had just assumed that the kidnapper was a male. The last few were males and most of the fighters he knew were actually males as well. Kiki was an exception but the world was prejudiced against girl fighters. Zen almost felt bad for assuming, but he quickly wiped it away when he remembered what the woman did to Shirayuki. He didn't have any more sympathy.

"Don't kill her." Mitsuhide told her, pinching the bridge of his nose.

Kiki sighed, not even bothering to reply to him. The woman turned on her heel and started to head back into the cell, determined to get her to talk.

"Wait." Zen called out and reached for Kiki. He didn't touch her but he reached.

Kiki glanced back, raising an eyebrow curiously, "Yes?"

"I want to talk to her first." Zen replied, his hands lowering, "Maybe I can get something from her."

"Oh?" Kiki questioned with her eyebrow still raised.

Zen nodded, "Just let me talk first, okay?" he asked.

Kiki frowned but she nodded. She's denied things to the prince before despite not having the actual authority to but he seemed a bit more determined for this. And maybe he would be able to do something, she didn't really know. However, she trusted him.

"Thank you." Zen said before leaving them and heading to the cell. He opened the large door then walked in.

The first thing that hit him was the smell of dirt. The stinking smell of dirt that was mixed in with the smell of rotting flesh. It wasn't the woman who smelled of the rotting flesh but she wasn't the first person that they've kept in there. It was a cell for the more dangerous ones...and the ones that they didn't expect to be getting out of anytime soon.

Zen glanced around the cell, the only source of light came from a candle on the ground that look like it could burn out at any minute. The woman was laying in the middle, her hands in chains that attached to the walls. She was on her knees with her face to the ground, a small pool of blood had formed beside her head. Enough for a broken nose, like Zen had first thought. Her blonde hair was out and sprawled against the dirty floor and she wasn't wearing many clothes. It was basically what would've been her undergarments.

Zen sighed slightly as he leaned down and got into a crouching position, staring down at the woman below him. The woman who had tried to take everything from him. She wasn't much older than Shirayuki though and she didn't seem very...threatening anymore. She looked vulnerable and , the man placed his hand on the back of her head. However, after hearing a hissing sound come from her mouth, he retracted his hand.

"Why did you do it?" Zen asked her with a growl, putting his hand on his knee as he stared down at the woman still, "Why did you take and hurt her?"

"Why not?" The woman asked innocently.

"It would be wise not to play with me right now." Zen hissed in a threatening tone, raising his hand as if he was going to hit the woman. But he pulled his hand back instead. He wasn't going to hit her, not yet. He had enough willpower to hold back for now.

"I don't mind playing. Dolls were my favourite as a kid." The woman snickered, her face still on the ground.

Zen growled at her, "Tell me why you captured. Tell me why you're trying to get back at me."

"Whomever said that~?" She hummed, more confident than most were when they were in that cell.

"It was obvious." Zen snapped, "Now tell me why."

"What's in it for me?" She asked.

"Excuse me?" Zen questioned.

"Well I'll only tell you where if I get to give you forty lashes but what happens if I tell you why? What do I get to give you then I wonder?" She hummed again before she started to cackle.

"Your friend, the messenger," Zen started as the girl quieted down, "he's not just a messenger is he? You protected him. Is he family perhaps? A friend?"

"You stay away from him..." The woman growled and Zen couldn't help but smirk. He had something against her now.

"I didn't plan on going after him, since it seems like he could've been forced into this. However if he was an accomplice so I may have to go catch him and throw him in a cell just as rotten as yours." He explained himself and he watched her tense a little, "Unless you tell me why and where then maybe I could just forget about it. Turn the other cheek."

"I won't tell you where she is unless you take the forty lashes." The woman replied bitterly.

"Even if I threaten his life?"

"He knew what he was doing. We both signed up for this and we both want it. If I tell you where then all of this would've been for nothing."

Zen scowled but accepted that he couldn't get it out of her, "Why then?"

The woman let out a sigh before she started talking, "She shouldn't have won. She cheated to win. It's not fair...my father was a hard working and honest man." she explained, her voice getting more venomous as she went on, "She cheated to win the court herbalist contest. She used her friendship with you to win and you let her. You let her seduce you. You weren't fair. My brother even pushed you in that greenhouse with her to ensure that she wouldn't win, that this could be a fair trial. But it wasn't and now my father has paid the price for it."

"She won that trial fair and square." Zen defended but the woman only snorted, not even believing him. Or refusing to.

"She's not even from this country. How could she have any right to be the court herbalist? My father worked for years and years to be the best he could be. He finally got in and that wretched bitch won all because of you. My father had to get into more illegal activities like Claw of the Sea. You arrested him even though it was your fault. You put him in jail and he was killed in there by corrupt guards under your watch." The woman hissed at him, "His blood is on your hands."

"She didn't cheat." Zen repeated himself but the woman ignored him. She didn't care what he had to say. Nothing could change her mind.

"His blood is on your hands." The woman mumbled quietly to herself before lifting her face to look at him, revealing her crooked nose, "Now that you know why, will you let me go? Will you allow me to give you your punishing? For you to pay for your actions?"

Zen frowned and glared at the woman before grabbing onto her nose. He moved it just a little and the girl screamed in pain, "Tell me where Shirayuki is." He demanded as he glowered down at her. She bit her lip until it bled but she stayed quiet. Zen growled a little bit before move the nose entirely and moving it back into place. The woman winced but she stared at him oddly after it.

"I didn't do it to be nice." Zen stated, making sure he was clear as he stood back up, "I did it so Kiki can break it again."

And then he left the room as the woman screamed curses at him.

 **I haven't actually read the manga but I don't think they've explained who pushed Zen in the anime so I'm doing this.**


	10. Chapter 10

There was an entire night of torture. Kiki even stayed up later than she should've her hits becoming harder and her empty threats started to become real. Zen didn't like considering giving in, he didn't like letting the bad guy win but if it was for Shirayuki he would have to. Plus in a way, it was kind of his fault the woman's father died. If she told the truth and it were the corrupted guards that killed him then Zen should've been able to see it. He should've been able to stop them before they hurt anyone. But he wasn't...and the worse part was...he still didn't know who she was talking about.

"You're not really considering this, are you Zen?" His older brother questioned as he walked into Zen's room, not caring about the lack of privacy. He didn't need to, he was first born prince. He had way more authority and could take off all the doors in the entire castle if he wanted to.

"I love her..." Zen mumbled while sitting on the edge of his bed, fully dressed but he didn't feel ready.

"This will humiliate you. It will make you look weak. How could you every rule if you're ready to cave in to a kidnapper's wishes." His brother snapped at him, his blonde hair dangled in his face. He seemed to be almost messy, his hair wasn't groomed and his buttons on his shirt were badly done up, being in the wrong hole. He looked...unproper. At least unproper for him

"I love her." Zen repeated himself, being more firm that time. Like he was sure of his decision this time. There was almost no doubt in his head despite all the consequences, all the pain he would endure. Only one thing was on his mind...protecting Shirayuki.

Izana paused, staring at him intensely. Zen gave him a quick glance but didn't bother to give him a glance any longer than a few seconds. The white haired prince pushed himself off of the bed and headed towards the door. He could feel his brother's stares on him but he couldn't care less. A sudden burst of confidence swept through him...confidence or even love. Love for his best friend and girlfriend. Someone that he wanted to protect no matter what.

"You're a moron." was the last thing Zen heard from his brother as he let the door shut behind him.

"Let me speak to her." Zen ordered to the guard in charge of the kidnapper. The man didn't even hesitate as he stepped to the side. Even if Zen wasn't the prince, the guard wouldn't have dared to come between him and his goal when he was radiating so much determination. There was no doubt in his head about what he was doing. It had to be done.

He knew that he wouldn't even regret it either.

After opening the door, Zen walked in the room again. The stench almost took him off guard again but that was going to stop him. Even if the scent of blood had gotten stronger. He paused his pace at the entrance of the room, staring at the woman laying on the ground. She had more cuts on her but they weren't deep enough. Despite what Zen may have thought before, if the woman pushed Kiki anymore...she may have lost a limb.

"I'm still not going to talk." The woman grumbled but it was weak. Much weaker than last time. It seems that Kiki hadn't scared her despite what she had done.

"I know." Zen mumbled with a frown as he looked at her.

As if surprised by his voice, the woman flinched and glanced up to see the prince. She sighed before laying her head down, "Come to get more life stories? The books at this castle aren't good enough for your royal taste?" she asked sarcastically.

"I've read most of them anyways." Zen replied with a light shrug, not caring about her comment. Her words weren't as effective as last time. He wasn't quite sure as to why. Maybe it was because of his sudden spirit of determination or maybe it was because of how weak she looked. How vulnerable she was laying on the ground, bleeding, hurt. Yet as he thought of it, he didn't' think she was actually that weak. She had taken a beating from Kiki, which would frighten some of the strongest men, but she still didn't talk.

She still wouldn't talk.

She was as determined as Zen was but for different reasons. He wanted to save someone he loved and she wanted to avenge someone she loved. In a way they could be the same. Zen couldn't help but wonder if he would end up just like her had he lost a part of his family. A flashback traveled into his brain and he remembered the day he had lost his old best friend, Ati. He too wanted revenge. He and the others. Revenge drove them both a little crazy. Could it do the same to him? If Shirayuki had died...what would he have done to the lady laying beneath him?

"Then what are you here for?" The woman grumbled, her tone starting to sound annoyed. Like Zen's presence was a waste of time.

"I'm here to accept your 'deal'." Zen replied with a bitter taste in his mouth. It wasn't a deal to him, it was black mail. Pure blackmail. She was blackmailing the second prince...and she was winning.

There was a pause before Zen could hear her laughter again. She still wasn't looking at him, her face pressed against the ground underneath her. It would've hurt her nose just to touch anything else, assuming that Kiki broke it again, yet she was laying it down on the dirty floor.

"Why are you laughing?" He growled at her after the laughter went on for too long. Even at his words, her laughter didn't stop. It didn't even slow down. It actually got even louder...more demonic. Like she was possessed by some sort of demon. Zen wouldn't doubt it either.

A few more seconds passed before Zen stepped on her hand and she squeaked, her laughter getting cut short. She didn't plead for him to stop, she tried to show no signs of pain, but they were there. However, after that squeak, she went silent. Trying to show him that he didn't scare her. He had a feeling that she didn't want her hand to get squashed.

"I find it funny..." She mumbled after a few seconds of Zen not squishing her hand but his foot was still there so he could at any time, "That I was actually able to break the prince."

"Oh?" Zen questioned with a raised eyebrow, "You didn't think you could? If you didn't think you could then why even do this? What is the point?"

The woman snorted and lifted her eyes to stare at Zen. "Because despite the fact that those around me didn't believe me, they still don't. They want to watch you suffer too. They want to watch you pay for your sins. I might as well provide it for them since I would like to as well." She exclaimed.

"You're insane." Zen grumbled and gave her a glare but the glare only made the woman smile. She enjoyed his pain. His pain was like dessert to her and he could see it.

"I know." The woman replied nonchalantly before forcing herself to sit up. He watched her wince and bite her lip hard enough for it to bleed as she sat up. It was painful for her to get up but she still did it. There was no logical reason for her to sit up but she forced herself to despite the pain. "So which one are you agreeing to? Giving me the objects or the whippings? Personally I prefer the latter." she said with a smile. A genuine, non sadistic smile. It didn't match her words.

"The whipping." Zen growled at her, his hand clutching onto the hilt of his sword, "But not in public."

"No deal." The woman replied, "Publicly or she rots."

"Not publicly." Zen repeated himself, his tone getting more threatening. If it was publicly...the people would look down at him. They would've seen that there was weakness...that the attackers won.

"Okay then she rots." The woman stated with a light shrug, acting a bit more casual now, "Doesn't matter to me anyway. She was sweet but still a cheater."

Zen growled and went to threaten her,to get her to agree to something else, but instead some unforgiving words slipped from his mouth, "...Fine."

 **Ah I hate to do this stuff but I would really like for people to enjoy this story or leave some feedback. Well anyways...I'm currently working on an original story on Fictionpress and it would mean a lot if you guys check it out :D**

 **You don't have to of course but if you want to, here's the link :)**

 **/s/3301782/1/To-Hell-with-the-Devil**


	11. Chapter 11

It hurt. The first one hurt the most. It was the first crack and he wasn't prepared for it. He wasn't prepared for it to hurt that much. It only lasted for a split second before it was pulled back but the pain was unbearable. And he had to do it thirty nine more times.

A cool red liquid drizzled down his back as he bit his lip, almost breaking skin. His hands gripped onto the ropes that had bind him. It wasn't a request by the woman but by him himself so he wouldn't back out. His fingers paled as his fingers gave the rope a death grip at the sound of a third crack of a whip. He could hear the cackling from the woman behind him and gasps from around him whenever the whip made contact with him. She had forced them to do it in one of the most populated cities in the country. The crowd that had gathered after the first snap was quite large and after each whip it got larger and larger. The prince actually got curious on how large it would be after the fortieth.

"Is that the prince?" He heard someone ask in astonishment. He didn't open his eyes to see who it was, squeezing them close as the next hit came. His teeth bit down harder on his lip until he felt blood dripping into his mouth. As the whip fell back, Zen took the time to spit out the blood so he didn't end up choking on it but the taste was already on his tongue.

"Yes. The second prince." Someone else answered them. The next hit came just after the spit so he didn't have time to close his mouth again. He let out a short and pained yell before he was able to close his mouth. Even without seeing them, he could feel Mitsuhide and Kiki flinching. He told them that they didn't have to be there if they didn't want to. They could leave. But they both insisted on being by his side.

"Is he being punished?" Someone else asked as well. Zen ended up biting onto his tongue next, not having enough time to actually get to his bottom lips. Biting his tongue hurt more than his lips and he was pretty sure that he cut it. The pain from the whips got his mind distracted from his cut tongue though. He wasn't grateful for it either.

"Maybe it's Izana? Is Izana punishing him?" The person close to the first speaker replied, guessing. Zen opened his eyes a little bit to stare in the direction of the person who suggested that idea. He couldn't say anything, he didn't have enough time to even if he was able to muster out some words. However, he hoped that the speaker was able to read his unspoken message. That Izana was not to blame.

Then his eyes closed again as the next hit came.

"No it wasn't." Someone else spoke up that time, loud enough for the whole crowd to hear, someone that sounded a little familiar. They were from the castle. They weren't Kiki or Mitsuhide, Zen instructed them not to speak during the time but they were definitely from someone in the castle.

"Zen is doing this to protect an innocent civilian who was kidnapped by the woman up there." Yes it was definitely a guard. Zen couldn't wrap his head around which one though. There wasn't a lot of time for his thoughts to be created. "The court herbalist was kidnapped. A kind and sweet girl that everyone loves. This woman kidnapped her and demanded for his sword and Izana's crown."

It must be a guard that was around a lot if they knew all of that. Or maybe they were eavesdroppers. Zen was having a hard time pinpointing who the person was without opening his eyes but it helped distract him from the pain so he was grateful for it.

"Was Izana too greedy to give it to them?" A person asked, cutting the guard off.

"No that wasn't it." He stated calmly, "Prince Izana did not wish to give into a terrorist's demands. Especially since if he had given them the items, they could've sold them for a high price and became stronger. They could've hurt more people that way. So Zen made a negotiation with the woman and agreed to this. He agreed to this so a stranger could come back home and live another day."

There was a pause as the crowd processed what he said. Even the woman stopped the whipping for a moment. Whether the guard genuinely thought they were strangers or if he was protecting her...Zen didn't care. He was grateful for it as well.

"They aren't strangers." The woman grumbled before sending the whip back to Zen, "They are lovers."

"...So?" Kiki spoke up this time despite Zen's orders. Her and Mitsuhide...they were the only ones that could get away with disobeying him on something important like this. It was probably just because the prince was scared of them though. "So what if they're lovers? She's still no different from the innocent people here. We found her running from someone who was out to get her and Zen protected her. He was under no obligation to protect her since she wasn't even from our country but he still did it. Just like he's doing now. Protecting her."

"Kiki..." Zen mumbled with a frown. He didn't like being talked about like that. It was embarrassing. Of course the last thing he should really have been thinking about was embarrassment but he just couldn't help it. Whether he knew it or not, the man was quite modest.

"I guarantee he would do the same if it happened to anyone in the castle. Even someone he didn't know." Mitsuhide added in.

Zen didn't like that promise. The woman had whipped him around ten times? That was only a quarter amount of the times he would be whipped. He knew that he did not ever want to experience it again. Truthfully, he didn't know if he would do this again or not if someone's life was in danger. He kind of hoped he would be able to do it but he really didn't know. It hurt a lot.

"Liar." The woman behind him grumbled before the whip made contact with his back again. Zen's teeth bit down harder on his lip at the pain of the whip. The liquid dripping down his back only got heavier and made its way to his pants. He was smart enough to take his shirt off but that didn't stop his pants from getting stained with his own blood.

Zen let his eyes close again as the whip was retracted. His tongue tasted the blood dripping down his lips as his teeth bit down hard again as the whip made contact. The pain extended itself in Zen's back as he ended up slumping over, losing strength that allowed him to keep sitting up straight. He was happy that they had outlawed this as a way to punish criminals or servants. He was extremely happy over that. He hoped no one would have to endure the pain he was feeling, the humiliation.

"Stop it!" Someone yelled, someone younger. Maybe around ten, Zen didn't see who. He kept his eyes close, not finding the strength to open them but the voice sounded young. There was no reply from the woman behind him and in the crowd in front stopped murmuring. He couldn't see the reaction that anyone had to the person yelling, but he did know that it took a few extra moments than normal for the whip to snap at his back.

"Yeah, stop it!" The voice was older, much older this time.

"Shut up." The woman from behind hissed but her voice was drowned out as more people started yelling. As the yelling got louder, the whipping stopped. Curiously, Zen forced his eyes open a little bit to see the crowd in front of him.

Rocks. They were pelting rocks at the woman behind him. They continued to yell as the rocks were thrown in the air, completely missing Zen. Forcing his head to turn, Zen looked back to see the woman holding her hands above her head to try and protect her head from the impact of the rocks. They were thrown over his head and a few would hit the woman. Some missed but none of them hit Zen. The whip was still in her hand as she protected herself and Mitsuhide and Kiki had perplexed expression on their faces. They didn't know what to do.

"Stop it!" The woman screamed at them as the rocks hit her.

Zen turned his head back to I'm front of him and stared at the crowd in front of him. "Stop.." He said in a weak voice to the group as the woman started to walk closer.

No one heard him, or they just ignored him because the rocks kept coming. The footsteps of the woman started to get closer and he glanced back again to see her coming towards him. No..She was going towards the crowd. One hand was still covering her head while the one holding the whip was by her side.

As she neared the group, she started to lift the whip up.

"STOP IT!" The woman screamed as she snapped the whip toward the crowd, but one person in particular. A child, a little girl at around ten years old. The girl didn't have any time to move or even realize what was happening, she could only widened her eyes as the whip came close to her.

But it never hit her.

Using the strength he didn't know he had left, Zen pushed himself off the ground. With his hands still attached to the thankfully long ropes, Zen flew up in the air and used himself as a human shield. The whip smashed into his back just before he fell to the ground. The pain ran through his veins as his shoulder slammed into the cobblestone before him. He was able to see the shocked expression on the little girl's face before his eyes closed and his conciousness was swept away.


	12. Chapter 12

Pie. Apple pie. The scent of apple pie lingered in the air around Zen, forcing him to smile despite his sleeping state. As the scent stayed around for longer, only coming closer and closer, Zen's eyes started to open. Slowly but surely and one by one, his eyes fluttered open to see a bright light shining in his face. Wincing a little bit, Zen narrowed his eyes until a figure came into view. However, that was all he was able to see. The figure was being drawn out by the lighting so he couldn't see the face or any features of the figure. The only thing he could tell was that it was an angel...

"...Wha..." Zen mumbled quietly as his eyes narrowed more until the shining figure, the angel, came more into actual view. Red hair. His angel had red hair. Had they come to retrieve him from his body? Bring him to heaven? Or possibly even hell. He would prefer heaven though.

"Hi Zen." The angel spoke. The voice...it was familiar. It was eerily familiar yet comforting at the same time. Zen only watched as the angel moved over to the side until she came into full focus, revealing her entire face.

"Sh-Shirayuki!" Zen yelled with wide eyes as the face shown flashed in his memories. Pictures of her and him danced along his head as he continued to stare, not even sure if this was real.

"Hi." She repeated with a big grin on her face. Zen didn't care if it was real or not as the smile took a hold of his heart and warmed it up.

Despite the aching pain in his shoulders and his back screaming at him to stop, Zen sat up and wrapped his arms around Shirayuki. Every ounce of him was telling him to stop and to pull back. To lie down again and relax, go back to sleep. But Zen ignored it and pulled Shirayuki into a tight hug, not daring to let go. If he let go then it might all fade away. He might wake up from the dream.

"Are you okay?" The girl asked quietly and wrapped her delicate hands around his back, letting them rest on the fabric of his bandages. Her small finger started to trace circles on his back, on the bandages as Zen pulled her closer.

"Don't worry about me, what about you? Are you okay? How are you here?" He asked her and he dug his face into her hair.

"I'm fine." Shirayuki replied and sighed softly as her head found comfort on his shoulder, "And Mitsuhide found me."

"How?" Zen asked. He didn't like questioning the fact on how she was able to be held in his arms again but he was curious...He doubted he got those forty lashes after passing out. They couldn't force it out if the woman either so he was very curious.

"A man, I think they said it was a messenger, told them where he thought I could be. Apparently he saw you heroically take a bit for a child and took pity on you, master."

Zen jerked his eyes over, but didn't move his head in fear of making Shirayuki uncomfortable, to see who was speaking. The man standing beside them didn't surprise Zen at all.

"Feeling better, Obi?" Zen asked as a slight smile grew on his face at the sight of his friend.

"Yeah, do I get a tender hug too, master?" He asked with a light smirk on his face as he watched the two.

"Only if you're as adorable as Shirayuki." Zen mumbled then held Shirayuki a bit tighter as the girl giggled.

"Well then I think I do get one." Obi said with a big grin before barging in on their hug by wrapping his arms around them both. Zen let out a light sigh but didn't argue it, as long as he had Shirayuki in his arms.

"Are your injuries okay?" Shirayuki mumbled as Obi continued to force their tender and sweet hug into a group hug.

"Maybe. I don't know." Zen muttered with another sigh but he still didn't care. The pain in his shoulders was tearing at his skin but none of it mattered as Shirayuki was beside him again. "What about yours?" He asked as the memory of the second note popped into his head and his eyes fell down to her foot. They were all bandaged up and there was a chair behind her that he hadn't noticed before. Frowning, Zen pulled his head back a bit so he could look at Shirayuki to make sure this hug wasn't hurting her.

"My foot is broken but I got some better medicine applied to it and took a painkiller tea." Shirayuki explained and turned her head so she could look back at Zen.

"Am I hurting you?" He asked, staring at her still with the frown on his face.

"No." Shirayuki told him then hugged him a little tighter, "I'm fine. You however..."

"You got hurt pretty badly." Obi finished Shirayuki's sentence, pulling himself back into conversation, "That was pretty reckless of you master." he went on, "But pretty awesome at the same time," he grinned.

Zen sighed and glanced away, just grateful that Shirayuki wasn't there to see him. Wasn't there to see him be weak...to be defeated.

"You shouldn't have done it..." Shirayuki mumbled with a frown growing on her own face, her finger just feeling the fabric of his bandages instead. Her hand slowly relaxed on his back, laying flat over the bandages put she didn't apply any pressure to it. She just let it lay there.

"I would do it again in a heartbeat." Zen stated quickly, his eyes glued onto hers, "If it meant that you would be safe."

He watched with a smile as a blush grew on her neck and she turned away, not daring to argue him. He didn't mind it though, after all, everything he said was true. He may have doubted it during the pain but he knew that he would do it again just as long as Shirayuki was okay. He would do anything for her.

"So what happened to them?" Zen asked, bringing his attention to Obi while changing the subject so his red haired angel wouldn't be as embarrassed, "The messenger and the woman I mean."

"Oh, Ason and Dacko?" Obi questioned, saying the names that Zen never actually learned, "Well Ason is in jail but since Dacko gave us the information, or at least where he suspected she would be and she was, he was let free. We told him not to do it again and he apologized. He was pretty nice actually. Really apologetic about what happened. Apparently he was a childhood friend of Ason's and had to watch her suffer through her father's death and got mad at you too."

He took a breath before going on.

"But he said that he didn't agree to any whipping. He just wanted the items so it could help her family finaniaclly since they're doing pretty bad now. He didn't even know she had the idea of whipping. That's what he said at least." Obi added in at the end.

"And I believe him." Shirayuki nodded.

Obi shrugged, "Yeah I did too. He was really upset. Then when he saw you take a hit for the kid, he had second thoughts."

"Hm." Zen mumbled with a light frown but let the information sink in. The messenger, Kiki hurt him. Not as much as the woman, Ason, of course but he still didn't give up anything even with being hurt. Part of Zen believed that this was part of a plan. That there was no good fortune, no change of heart. Something was wrong. Yet that part washed away quickly when he saw the smile on Shirayuki's face. Despite what she had gone through, there was still a smile plastered onto her face. A smile that could light up the entire world if it so pleased.

"Master?" Obi questioned, watching as Zen didn't speak anymore.

Letting out a light sigh, Zen glanced back at Obi and just gave him a nod, "Alright. Get someone to keep an eye on Ason though okay? I don't trust her."

"Okay." Obi replied as he let the two go from the group hug then just sat beside them on the bed.

"And how are your injuries?" Zen asked while eyeing the bandages that were wrapped around his shoulders. Though he had already seen him before, Zen didn't see him moving around or walking for that matter. He had been at the healer's office for some time to get his wound better. It seemed to have worked though, he only winced a little when his arms moved.

"Much better. Our herbalists are great." Obi complimented and gave Shirayuki a thumbs up, not bothering to listen to her arguments about her not even being there, "Our healer is kind of rough though."

"I'm sure she is." Zen replied with a snort. He didn't have much of an opinion of the woman but she did seem like she could...easily take someone down if she needed to. She was never rough with Zen though. Most likely since he was the prince and all.

"So mean too." Obi added and nodded as he pouted slightly, "She kept insulting me and insisted that I should've been able to do better. Should've been able to dodge it. Like she's ever dodged anything in her life!" Obi exclaimed angrily as he threw his hands up in the air.

Zen smiled and shook his head lightly, not noticing the blonde entering his room. The footsteps were soft and barely audible, the only one that actual caught it was Obi. When the brunette looked up at the sound of the noise, he saw the first prince inside Zen's bedroom.

"Hello." The man greeted, making Zen and Shirayuki jerk their heads up a bit.

Zen's eyes narrowed as he stared at his brother who was casually standing in front of them all. His face wasn't soft, but it wasn't exactly stern either. It was more formal. His eyes however...Zen could see through his eyes. He wasn't too pleased about something but he was hiding it in front of company in Zen's room.

"Um..." Zen started as he frowned, glancing down at Shirayuki. He didn't want to ask her to leave. No...scratch that. He didn't want her to leave, he was terrified of her leaving his arms again. Of the same thing happening over and over again. He never wanted to lose her, to even risk losing her. He needed her.

"I think we should go." Obi spoke the dreaded words as he placed a hand on Shirayuki. The red haired girl was hesitant at first but she ended up nodded and letting go of Zen. She pushed herself off of him the fell back, landing on the chair she had been on before. Obi stood up and off up the bed then brought him self over to Shirayuki. With a light smile, he lifted her up bridal style and started to carry her out with her cast completely visible to Zen.

He watched as she was carried out of the room then Obi used his leg to close the door behind him, leaving just Zen and his brother in the room.

"What do you want?" Zen asked as he turned his gaze back over to Izana, not trying to be polite anymore. Not when he had gotten Shirayuki torn from his grasp when Zen hadn't held her in so long. He had been tortured with fear before and he wanted to have held her more. To keep her with him. Yet it was his brother's fault for her being out of his arms.

"That was a stupid move." Izana deadpanned as he kept his eyes focused on Zen, letting them become stern, no longer needing to hold them back.

Zen didn't reply, instead he just held his brother's gaze. He didn't let any expression, any emotion, show on his face. He just kept it formal and casual, a poker face, as he stared at Izana. He knew first hand that his brother was very manipulative, even if it was for what he believed was best.

"You're lucky." He continued on, Zen hiding the surprise he held from the mere words, "That the guard was there for you. His words were what got the crowd riled up, what wanted them to protect you. No one saw you as weak after the guard talked. It was strange, to be honest." Izana stated.

"So?" Zen questioned with a frown, wondering what the point of this was.

"Don't do it. You don't know if you'll be lucky like that again." Izana pointed out as he crossed his arms before getting softer, "Be more careful next time."

"I will." Zen assured him with a nod.

"Good." Izana mumbled and nodded back at him before he turned on his heel. With an graceful walk, Izana made his way over to the door and opened it up. Obi, Shirayuki, Kiki, and Mitsuhide were revealed on the opposite side of the door but Izana only gave them a polite nod. He said nothing as he walked past them and out the door, allowing it to close behind him.

The group was silent as they entered. Mitsuhide and Kiki went to stand at the end of the bed but Obi didn't quite care. Instead, he went straight for the bed without hesitation. First, he placed Shirayuki in Zen's lap despite her blush then took a seat beside him. He sent a glance over at Kiki and Mitsuhide who weren't even surprised by his antics. Obi sent them a grin in reply to their non spoken words.

"I'm fine." Zen mumbled as he wrapped his arms around Shirayuki's waist, sending his gaze over to his two friends at the end of the bed. Their eyes immediately tore away from the silent conversation they were having with Obi and over to the prince.

Kiki was the first of them to speak. "Are you sure?" Kiki asked with a frown upon her lips, "He seemed a bit mad when I saw him walking down the hallways."

"It's fine. He just wanted to talk." Zen explained a little, "I'm not in trouble or anything."

"Are you sure?" Kiki asked with an expression of disbelief.

He nodded, "Certain."

A long pause rained over the group as their eyes were locked on Zen, but his weren't on them anymore. His eyes were focused on Shirayuki's and hers were in his as well.

"Um...we're going to leave now." Kiki mumbled with a frown as she turned and started to walk. Mitsuhide got the hint and walked alongside her to the door, sending a look back at Obi. Though reluctant, Obi pushed himself off the bed again and made his way over to the door. He threw in some fake winces and painful noises but neither of them listened, they knew he was a faker. Within a few seconds, the threesome left despite their short time in the room.

Sighing, Zen smiled at Shirayuki and pulled her closer. "Hi." He said.

"Hi." She replied, her arms wrapped around her neck.

Zen continued to smile at her before he pulled back then started to lay sideways. Shirayuki squeaked in front of him and the pain in Zen's shoulders only enflared but he kept going until he was laying sideways on the silky blankets of the bed.

Shirayuki let out a small sigh as well but stopped fighting it after he had completed his goal, to lie down. Neither of them talked, neither of them had to. There was a comfortable silence among them as the redhead's eyes closed. The corner of Zen's lips moved upwards until he was smiling again, his eyes soft as he stared at Shirayuki. His body felt warmer with her in his arms, more comfortable, more alive. His pain was soothed just by the small sounds of her breathing, the reassurance of her being alive.

With a smile still glued onto his lips, Zen allowed his own eyes to close and he slept peacefully...for the first time in a long time.


End file.
